


The Only Thing I Need

by canicallyoumaddie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Babysitting, Established Relationship, First Person Keith POV, M/M, Married Sheith, Ratings may change, SHEITH - Freeform, Scraping by, Sheith angst, Side Romelle/Hunk, sheith fluff, tags to be added later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-09-21 12:30:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17043773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canicallyoumaddie/pseuds/canicallyoumaddie
Summary: Keith and Shiro are starting their life together. It's not glamorous, but it's theirs. Their life together isn't going to be easy, and some compromises don't make life better, but drive people apart. It takes a while to realize...the thing they really needed was back where they started, in an old house that was falling apart.





	1. The Start

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my second Sheith fic and my first first-person POV fic! Voltron is over, but Sheith lives on in my heart forever. A big thank you to albinospacegay for looking this over for me! 
> 
> This song is inspired by the song Anna Sun by WALK THE MOON, which made me feel way too many Sheith feels.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! If you do please make sure to leave a kudos and a comment!!

 

 

 

More than a few people told us not to get married yet. “Wait until you get a job, Keith,” they kept telling me—telling Shiro that he wasn’t being the responsible man they thought he was by asking me to marry him right after I graduated. He was making practically peanuts—the job market tanked the minute he got out of school a few years ago—and we didn’t have more than two nickels to rub together.

Out of necessity we’d been living together in a ratty old apartment for the bulk of my senior year. I did some odd mechanic jobs while finishing up my degree. I did my best to pay my half, but Shiro was the one with the real job.

Then I got fired two months after I graduated. This hilariously coincided with my birthday, and just so happened to be the day Shiro picked to propose. So there I was, jobless, on my birthday, and the happiest I’d ever been in my entire life. Shiro was trying really hard not to cry, but I could tell that the minute we got home he was gonna break down into happy sobs.

God, I love that man.

I don’t know why I’m thinking of all these things now. I’m wearing this rented tux and frantically trying to flatten my hair so it doesn’t look like a goddamn rat’s nest for my wedding; something that’s a little futile, because my hair likes to freak out when I need it to behave. Not like Shiro will care—he’s seen me in two-day underwear and bed head that looks like someone put me in a blender and loves me anyway. And I’ve never really been someone to try and impress people, but I know the Shiroganes put a lot of effort into this wedding since my extended family is gone and my mom barely just got back into my life.

Someone knocks on the bathroom door, distracting me from my thoughts. I lean my forehead against the glass in front of me. “Yeah?”

“Buddy? You doing ok in there?”

Lance. Of course.

“Yeah, I’m good.” I sigh heavily, and give myself a last look in the mirror to curse my hair before yanking open the door.

Lance jolts back, and the offended look on his face is kinda funny.

“What?”

He straightens his tie and jerks his head toward the chapel. “Thing’s about to start.”

“You mean my wedding?”

He waggles his hand in the air. “Yeah, that.”

I roll my eyes. “Gee, thanks.”

“You ready?” I don’t know why he looks so nervous—maybe he was worried I’d take off. Not like I haven’t tried to do that for...literally every important event I’ve ever been to.

Breathe in, out...okay. “Yeah. I’m good.” He nods and turns on his heel, gesturing for me to follow him.

Fuck. This is really happening, isn’t it? I’m marrying my best friend and the love of my life in literally five minutes. Should I be freaking out? I have a feeling that Lance thinks I should be freaking out, judging by the weird looks he keeps giving me. “Lance, _what?_ ”

He shrugs like he hadn’t been giving me bug-eyes for the past few minutes. “What _what_?”

I have to close my eyes for a second because if I don’t try to maintain my composure I’m going to actually lose it before I even make it to the altar. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re afraid I’m going to spontaneously combust or something.”

“I’m not looking at you like that.”

I give him a slow blink. “You’re doing it right now.”

He covers his eyes. “No I’m not.”

That makes me chuckle. “Fine. You’re not.”

He moves his hands and gives me his signature lopsided grin. I grin back. “I kind of don’t hate you right now,” I say. I try not to snort as I watch his grin falter for a moment before his face scrunches up in indignation.

“Excuse me?” he stage whispers at me, because we’ve gotten a little closer to the doors to the chapel. “You _love_ me.”

“Uh huh.”

“Otherwise I wouldn’t be your best man.”

I pretend to deliberate, because I love making the man squirm. He thrives on validation and I think it’s funny to deny him that sometimes. Make him fall back on the trust we’ve built over the last few years. It takes him a second to actually realize I’m fucking with him.

He narrows his eyes at me and pokes me on the nose. “You’re lucky I admire Shiro so much and don’t want his groom to have a black eye,” he mutters.

My grin has now split my face in two. “Well, I appreciate that.”

“Yeah, yeah. Get your ass to the altar. I’m gonna go let Shiro know we’re about to start.” He vanishes, but not before shoving me through the double doors to the sanctuary. I bite back a retort and make my way up to the front, where Hunk is waiting as officiant. Literally I have two people on my side–Pidge is one of my groomspeople, but the only reason she’s there is because I have all of four friends and I’m marrying one of them. The other is the officiant. So I’m stuck with Lance as the Best Man and Pidge on my side of the aisle.

Shiro’s lucky and has at least two more people than I have, but it makes me feel better to see that it doesn’t make the stage look as lopsided as I feared.

It doesn’t make me look too terribly pathetic, at least.

 He’s not up there. Shiro, that is. I know he’s the one walking down the aisle because he deserves to have the Moment and I honestly don’t want people looking at me longer than necessary, but it’s nerve-wracking to realize that the first part of the wedding means we won’t be together. I’m just gonna be standing up here alone.

Pidge punches me lightly in the shoulder, and out of the corner of my eye I see Lance slip into the room through a side door. “Hey.” I feel another tap on my shoulder.

I return my attention to Pidge, who is looking at me with a raised eyebrow. “Having second thoughts? You’re really spacey.”

I know she’s kidding, but it still hits me wrong. “No, I’m just anxious. More than ready.”

“Ah.”

My heart twists. “Why, do I look like I’m having second thoughts?” _Shit, if I look like I’m having second thoughts, then Shiro will think I’m having second thoughts and—_

“No, I think you’re just stressing out.” Pidge puts a hand on my arm and smiles. “It’s okay, dude. You guys are in love—don’t stress.”

I wish that that made me completely calm, but it definitely doesn’t.

Lance bounds up the stairs to stand beside him on the stage. “Hey, sorry, Ryan wanted to talk to me. Are you okay? Ready?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” I mumble. I’m tired of people asking me so many questions—I just want it to be over and for Shiro and I to be married already.

As if on cue, the music starts.

“Oh Jesus,” I breathe, squinching my eyes shut while I gasp, “It’s really happening.”

I can practically hear Lance grinning. “Yeah, buddy. It is.”

I open my eyes and I see the doors open...and there’s Shiro.

Oh my god.

He looks beautiful.

That’s the only thing I can think. He looks absolutely beautiful and I’m the luckiest man alive.

He smiles at me and starts approaching and my heart is literally in my throat right now. I don’t know how people actually get married in real life because I’m somewhere between a puddle of mush and about to catch on fire.

He’s wearing a white tux, which I think is simultaneously insane and genius, and way more than we can afford, but damn does he look like a million bucks. I love this man more than my own life, and I realize that in this moment that it doesn’t matter where he and I end up—I just want to be with him forever.

He reaches the stage, and Hunk looks fit to burst with happiness. It’s really sweet. He and I bonded over the past year and I wouldn’t have anyone else officiate. And cater. _Wait_. Remind me to thank him for literally taking care of this entire wedding later.

I feel Shiro take my hand in his—his really high-tech prosthetic, I vaguely register—and I finally bring myself to meet his eyes and _focus_. This is the man I’m marrying in T-minus a few, and I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.

“Hey,” he whispers, grinning from ear to ear.

“Hey,” I whisper back, and for a moment, it’s just us. Not in front of a crowd; just two men standing in front of the infinite together.

The vows I’ve got memorized feel like peanut butter gluing my mouth shut, so I decide to just wing it. Probably not smart, but I’m so overcome with love for this man that I have to say what’s on my heart, not what’s in my brain.

Hunk gestures for me to go first and my heart feels like a vice is squeezing my chest. I take a deep breath and launch into what will probably be the most important thing I ever say.

“Shiro.” My voice cracks and a chuckle rumbles through the audience. My face is on fire as I clear my throat and try again. “Shiro. You’re the most important person in my life, and you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I would follow you to the ends of the universe if you asked, and my life would be very different if I hadn’t met you. I’m eternally grateful for what you’ve done for me, and I pledge myself to you, to support you in both the good times and bad, through sickness and health, rich or poor, no matter what. I love you more than anything in the world, and I want you to know that I am by your side until my last breath. I love you, Shiro, and I want to be with you until this world stops turning.”

Shiro’s eyes are getting glassy and he starts to clear his throat violently, which shouldn’t make me smile, but does. I relish in the breaking of his composure, because it means that there really is a man under all that stoicism; a real human man who has emotions and humanity. I smile at him as gently as I can and squeeze his hand hard enough for him to feel it through the metal of the prosthetic. I mouth “I love you” to him, and he laughs wetly.

“I love you so much, Keith,” he blurts without waiting for Hunk to say it’s his turn. “I love you more than anything, too, and I want to be there for you in during whatever storm or whatever clear day we find ourselves weathering. You are a fire, burning with passion, and I find myself drawn to your warmth and light. I want you to feel like you have an equal, someone to stand by your side when the going gets tough. I want to give you the stars in the sky, because you deserve everything in this universe. I promise to be beside you through any hardship, no matter what, and any good times and bad we may face. I love you, Keith. I’ve loved you as long as I’ve known you, and I am so excited for the life we’re about to spend together.”

Oh fuck. Tears are coming to my eyes now, blurring Shiro’s face and making me very self-conscious. I feel his thumb brush over my cheek, and I blink quickly to try and clear my vision. He’s smiling at me with tears in his eyes, too, and my heart feels like it’s about to float out of my chest. This is really happening. Oh my god.

We breeze through the rest of the ceremony, until Hunk finally says, “You may now kiss the groom,” and I launch myself into Shiro’s waiting arms and crash my mouth against his. We had agreed not to get too sappy, but after the speech he gave me, I’m pretty sure that I just want to throw him over my shoulder and take him to bed. Forget the reception, I just wanna show this man how much I adore him and cover his entire body in hickies.

The look on Shiro’s face makes me think that that’s something he would want very, very much.

Unfortunately, a lot of people came a long way to see this shit go down, so we’ve gotta say thank you to everyone here, and that makes me think that’s gonna take a really long time. Everyone files into the reception hall, and after taking pictures, we’re officially introduced as “Takashi and Keith Shirogane.” I find myself with one second of reprieve before the swarm.

“Champagne?” I ask, elbowing Lance in the gut. “Can we get some?”

Lance laughs and walks off, and I sure as fuck hope he’s going to get some because I’m starting to get anxiety. An arm wraps around my waist and Shiro drags me close to his side before giving me a firm kiss on the forehead.

“Hey,” I breathe. I feel like I’m going to have to catch my breath for the rest of this reception. I guess this is my life now. He guides me gently around the room and we talk to our family and friends, and I’m so focused on his big, warm hand around my middle that I barely register that there are people talking to me. I’m on autopilot. I have enough presence of mind to nod when I’m spoken to, but other than that, I’m basically a robot.

I was right, it does take a long time to talk to everyone. Battered and exhausted, and a little drunk (we didn’t get to eat, and I wanna kill whosever idea _that_ was), Shiro and I finally make it to a secluded area to regroup.

“How are you hanging in there?” Shiro says, looking down at me with those big gray eyes that I fell in love with so many years ago.

“I’m surviving. Who would have thought that it was so easy to get drunk at your own wedding?”

Shiro laughs, throwing his head back in the way he only does when he’s intoxicated. “Right? God, I’m exhausted _and_ hammered. Is this to discourage any naughty behavior after the wedding? Did we fall into their trap?”

I laugh too while my whole body shakes. “I know! It must be a trap.”

Shiro lowers his voice and I realize exactly what he’s doing a split-second before he does it—

“‘ _It’s a trap!’_ ”

I swat him on the arm and give him the biggest smile I can muster. “Oh my god, I married a nerd.”

He gives me a sly grin and a second later I find myself dipped low to the ground in his arms. “You absolutely did,” the man practically _purrs_ , and I swat him again.

“Now I have to fight down a fucking _boner_ , so thanks for that—” I grunt as I try to wriggle out of his grasp. 

He chuckles, hot in my ear, and replies, “Well, we could go take care of it.”

“Takashi, I’m going to kill you—you know that we have to say hi to at least ten more people.”

He sets me back down onto my feet— holy _god_ , is that hot— and sighs. Aaaaand...he’s fucking pouting.

“Shiro. Love of my life. When this is over, you can take me home and fuck me into oblivion, but right now, we have to thank all these people for coming to watch us commit our lives to each other.”

He retracts his bottom lip. I lean up to peck him on the cheek, then walk back toward the reception hall. I can tell he’s watching me walk away; the way I’m swinging my hips is basically his kryptonite, after all. I throw him a look over my shoulder and he speed walks after me, grabbing a handful of my ass and making me squeak in a very undignified way.

I can’t help but grin, though. I love this man.


	2. The First Year: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "One thing that people told me for a really long time, that I never really believed, was that marriage would be hard. But Shiro and I get along like a dream—why would we fight?
> 
> Boy, am I laughing now."
> 
> This is only the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am having a blast, welcome to the fastest turnaround for a fic I've ever done :O I've been genuinely enjoying myself and I hope you have been, too! Not sure how often updates will come but I'm on a roll so maybe they'll be pretty quick. Who knows! 
> 
> If you enjoyed this fic, please make sure to leave a kudos and a comment, and tell ya friends!! I will be eternally grateful.
> 
> special thank you to my beta ColieB!

 

 

 

One thing that people told me for a really long time, that I never really believed, was that marriage would be hard. But Shiro and I get along like a dream—why would we fight?

Boy, am I laughing now.

Because right now, he and I are in the middle of a huge fight. I’m sleeping on the couch and he’s locked himself in the bedroom.

I turn the conversation we had— just before things exploded— over in my mind.

I’d just gotten fired from another job, and Shiro was exhausted from work. When I told him, it looked like something broke inside him; he _knew_ I’d been trying my best, but there was a homophobic asshole there at that job who said something horrible about Shiro, and I…

I just lost it.

Unfortunately, that guy was a regional manager, so my ass was out of there faster than I could have said “I’m sorry.”

Not that I would have, the homophobic dick.

So, I came home to an exhausted husband with the shitty news that we weren’t going to have another paycheck coming in like he’d thought, and I saw something snap behind his eyes. He got very still in his chair, set his phone face-down, and sighed so hard I thought he’d shrink a few inches. I was terrified for the first time in my relationship with him— not for my safety, god no, but I was afraid that I had finally disappointed him for the last time.

We’ve been married for about six months now, and in that time I’ve been able to keep a total of two jobs for more than three weeks. This one was job number four and I was fired within five days. Shiro just looks tired, usually, when he’s upset,.This time he was livid.

“How? How, Keith, did this happen? How does it always happen?” he yelled at me, which he _never_ does, and threw his arms out to the sides in frustration.

“I don’t know,” was all I could say.

“I just want to be able to understand, Keith. Why you are so incapable of doing this one thing? It’s not hard to just not say anything— surely you can keep your mouth shut for more than a few days.”

That stung. “I’m doing my _best_ , Shiro. I’m trying to keep these jobs, I swear to _god_ , Shiro.”

“If you were trying _hard_ enough, you wouldn’t be losing them.”

I scoffed. “This time I was actually doing pretty well, until this asshole _provoked_ me because I’m gay!”

That stopped him cold. “What.”

I brushed the hair violently out of my eyes as tears came to them. “Yeah, Shiro.”

He looked like he was about to reach out to me, but stopped himself. “What did he say?”

“I don’t want to repeat it. But it was about _you_.” I looked away. “I know I’m not good at this whole ‘job’ thing. But this time I was justified.”

Shiro was silent, which almost hurt worse than yelling did.

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” I mumbled.

So now I’m on the couch while he sulks in the bedroom. I can see him clearly in my mind’s eye; he’s sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands, sighing heavily enough to make his shoulders shake. I would give anything to be in there with him— comforting him— but I don’t think I’m the person he wants to see right now. I have half a mind to leave for the evening, and give him his space, but I don’t want him to come out to the living room and think I’ve left-left. So. There’s that.

“Keith?”

My head shoots up to stare at the bedroom door  I must have hallucinated his voice, because there’s no way he’s ready to talk to me yet.

“Honey?” he says again, and I drag myself off the couch to stand at the door.

“Yeah?” I croak. My voice is hoarse from disuse. “What?”

“Can you come in here, please?”

Fuck. Well, hopefully he’s not going to tell me he’s leaving for the night, because _that_ would suck real hard.

“Yeah,” I mutter, and slowly turn the door handle. It won’t turn. “Uh, Shiro—”

“Oh, fuck, sorry—” I hear him say, and the creak of the bedsprings is all the warning I have before—

“Hi.”

I look up at his face, which is splotchy and red. His eyes are still glassy from crying, and I feel my heart clench in my chest. “Hi.”

He sweeps me up into a hug, and the only thing I really feel at the moment is confusion. “Um?” is all I can manage before tentatively wrapping my arms around him.

“I’m so sorry,” he murmurs in my ear. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

I pat him gently on the head. It’s awkward. “It’s okay, I deserved it.”

He pulls back and furrows his eyebrows. “No, you didn’t. I would’ve gotten pissed too if someone at work said something nasty about you. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”

I huff out a fake laugh. “Not like I’d’ve blamed you.”

“I don’t know what came over me—I’m still processing what I said to you and I’m horrified.” He looks so utterly dejected that my brain stalls. I came in here expecting something entirely different. Old habits die hard, I guess. I’m so used to people leaving that I expected this man to do the same, despite everything we’ve been through together.

“Shiro, it’s okay,” I try to say, but he shushes me and shakes his head.

“I will _never_ speak to you like that. It was a low blow, and I shouldn’t have said what I did. You do so many things right, Keith. You just have had a lot of rotten luck recently.” He’s so earnest that it makes my heart hurt.

“Shiro—”

“No, Keith, listen to me. You are not a screw up, you’re not a failure— you are a wonderful man and I should not have let my fear for our future rule my actions. I’ll do better, I promise.”

His eyes have welled up with tears again, and my throat feels tight. I don’t know what I did to deserve this man, but it must have been in a past life because I can’t remember doing anything right in this one. I tuck my face in the crook of Shiro’s neck and place a gentle kiss on his bare skin before mumbling, “You’re too good to me.”

“I’m not good _enough_ to you, baby.”

“Well that’s just ridiculous.”

Slow smiles come over both of our faces, and we chuckle together in each other’s arms. This is usually how our fights end, us realizing how stupid it was to fight in the first place. However, the underlying issue isn’t going to go away— Shiro’s fear for our security and my inability to maintain steady employment isn’t just going to magically fix itself. As I stand encompassed by my husband’s arms, I feel a cold sense of dread that this is only the beginning of things getting very, very difficult.

 

————

 

I’m practically vibrating with excitement—I got a job at a garage only fifteen minutes from our house, and they said I could start tomorrow. Oh my god, Shiro’s going to be so happy! I haven’t felt this much relief in a long time. It’s been a couple weeks since our fight, and things— while fairly fine on the surface— are still a little rocky between us. I know he’s been waiting with baited breath for me to get a job, and I can’t wait to tell him.

I try my best not to speed home, but it’s hard not to. Shiro’s already there, and I just can’t wait to launch myself into his arms and tell him the good news. I finally make it home and pull into our parking spot, and once the car has rolled to a stop, I jump out and sprint up our apartment steps.

As if it knows I’m in a hurry, my key sticks in the lock so badly that I have to call for Shiro to open the door. I’m only waiting a few moments before the handle turns and the door opens, revealing my very adorably confused husband.

“Keith? What are you doing—mmph!”

I lunge forward and press my lips firmly against his, and I feel him start to relax in my grasp. Breathless, he pulls back and places his huge palms on my shoulders. “Hey, what’s going on?” he asks, and I grin at him from ear to ear.

“I got a job,” I blurt. I get a single blink from Shiro before he’s yanking me forward by the shirt and smothering me in kisses. A giggle escapes my lips and I tuck myself into his side. “I know! I can’t believe it!”

“I’m—” kiss “so—” kiss “proud of you!” Shiro says, peppering my cheeks and nose and forehead. “Where? I hope it’s something you’ll enjoy!”

“I’m gonna be a mechanic at Lion’s Garage— you know, the one down the street?” I reply, breathing in Shiro’s heady scent. It always smells like home.

“That’s so close!”

“I know!” I say, and laugh when Shiro lifts me off the ground into a big bear hug. “I start tomorrow.”

He’s beaming at me. “This is wonderful news, baby.”

I can’t stop smiling. This is the best thing to happen to us since we got married. Finally, a lucky break. “Maybe we can buy a house, soon.”

Shiro’s eyes get wide and he whispers, “D’you really think so?”

“I’m gonna be paid a lot more than I was before, especially since I already have some skills.”

His eyes are practically glistening. “Things are looking up, Keith. They really are.”

 

————

 

“Keith, please—we can’t hire a sitter this last-minute and Lance and Allura are out of town—“ Hunk is pleading with me while I’m at Lion’s Garage, working.

 I’m not sure why they need a sitter for their kid, but I am not a children kind of person and I really would rather not. “But—“

“Keith, I’m begging you. On my knees.” Hunk literally gets on his knees in front of me and clasps his hands. I repress a snort. “You and Shiro would literally save my life if you could take care of Tally.”

I groan and drag my hand over my face. Shiro _does_ love kids, and it wouldn’t mess up our evening… “Ugh. Fine.”

Hunk shoots to his feet and grabs my hands. “You are my hero. Thank you _so_ much, I promise that I will send you a fruit basket or make you cookies or _something_ for your trouble.”

“It’s fine, really, Hunk. Besides, I’m sure Shiro will think of this as ‘baby practice’.” I can’t even start to go there, though—I’m pretty sure the sight of Shiro with a three-year-old girl will be too cute to handle.

Hunk gives me a quick kiss on the forehead, which is utterly baffling, and speed-walks to his car with a wave and a “I’ll call you later! Come over around 7:30!”

“I’ll be there.” Only 8 more hours until I die, I guess.

Once I get off my shift at the garage, I call Shiro to let him know the situation.

The first thing Shiro asks me is, “So why do Hunk and Romelle need a sitter so randomly? Did they even explain?”

I sigh. “No.”

“That’s...a little weird.”

“Maybe they needed some alone time? God knows we’d need some if we had a kid.”

I can practically hear Shiro smile on the phone. “If _we_ had a kid?”

I smack the center console and laugh. “Shut up!”

Shiro hums. “I’m just saying—I’ve never heard you bring up kids before.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure that seeing you playing racecar driver with Tally tonight is going to give me an embolism, so.”

“In a good way?”

I roll my eyes and smile. “I’m just saying, it’ll be cuteness overload.”

“You know she’s a pretty cuddly kid, right? She was snuggling pretty much everyone when Hunk and Romelle brought her to Pidge’s dinner party,” Shiro says, and I freeze. That’s _right._ I don’t know if I’m ready to have a small child crawling all over me. “Keith?”

“Mhmm.”

“You gonna be okay?”

I swallow roughly before answering. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’m not gonna be mad at her for being herself. She comes from a cuddly family, after all.”

“That’s true.”

“When are you coming home?” I’ve just pulled into the driveway, and I’m anxious for him to get here. I need alone time before our evening is monopolized by a toddler.

“In fifteen. I’m clocking out at 5:30.”

“Okay. Cool.”

“Love you.”

I return the sentiment and hang up just as I get to the door. We were able to get the locks switched so my key no longer sticks, which is a luxury I had no idea I wanted until I had to pick the lock myself a week ago. I flop onto the couch for a moment to recharge before dragging myself to the shower. It’s been a long day, and I’m grateful to wash all the grime off me. I forgot how gross I get after working on cars all day.

I’m wrapping a towel around my waist at the same moment Shiro walks in the door, whistling. He must have had a good day at work, which is rare. I call out his name from the bathroom and he’s standing at the doorway in a flash.

“Hey, hot stuff,” he says, stepping forward and wrapping his arm around my waist. He smells like coffee and caramel, which means he must have been on the espresso machine for his shift.

“Hey, yourself. You seem like you’re in a good mood.” I lean up to kiss him on the jaw. He catches my chin and brings our lips together, my eyes instantly close as I melt into him. “Mm.”

“You smell amazing,” he says, and I honest-to-god giggle.

“I used your shampoo.”

“The Lush stuff? I thought you hated to use that?”

I chuckle as I mouth up the side of his neck. “Nope. I just like it more on you.”

“Oh, really?”

I pull back just enough to meet his eyes. “I will admit that I have an ulterior motive, though.”

His eyes flash and his mouth opens with an, “Ah.”

“I may have wanted to try and get in a quickie before we have to babysit,” I admit, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth the way I know Shiro likes it.

Shiro laughs and grips me tighter. “I should have known. You know I love it when you smell like me.”

“I know this very well,” I say, grinning. “I like smelling like you, too.”

“You know you’re gonna have to shower again if we have a quickie, though.”

I huff. “We’re going to be babysitting for god knows how long and you know for a _fact_ we can’t do anything at Hunk’s house.”

“We can do something when we get home, though.” He gives me a lopsided smile. “What’s gotten into you, huh?”

I honestly don’t know. “I guess imagining you being all paternal and sweet gets me hot under the collar,” I say, looping my arms loosely around Shiro’s neck.

“We haven’t even gotten there yet, babe.”

“I know, but _imagining_ you like that, and imagining our future kid...”

Shiro laughs and gives me one last kiss before releasing me. “You really have baby fever, huh?”

I throw one arm out to the side and plant the other hand firmly onto my cocked hip. “I don’t know what’s happening to me!”

Shiro just laughs again and exits the bathroom, leaving me to finish getting ready to leave. I can hear him still chuckling in the bedroom and I roll my eyes. “Shiro, stop teasing me, it’s not fair.”

“It’s cute!”

I stalk into the bedroom, exasperated. “It’s embarrassing!”

“You’ll be a great dad,” he says, poking his head out of the closet at me. I stick my tongue out at him and blow a raspberry. He sticks his tongue out at me back before puttering around in the closet for some clothes. “Do you know where my black v-neck is?”

“You mean the one that you wear when you wanna have sex with me?”

He sticks his head back out to glare at me good-naturedly. “It’s a comfortable shirt, Keith.”

“It’s your ‘I wanna get laid’ shirt and you know it.”

“Just because I wore it on our third date, when I actually _did_ get laid, doesn’t mean that that’s the connotation for it until the end of time.”

I roll my eyes so hard that I actually hurt myself. “I’m _just saying_ , babe, you aren’t subtle.”

“ _Well,_ once we’re safely back at home, then you can personally strip me of my ‘sex shirt’.”

We pick at each other like this for while whilst we get ready, since we’re a little pressed for time and I love giving him shit for trying to hide how horny he is. Our banter is something I look forward to daily, because it makes me feel wanted and secure. I look at him fondly as he pulls on his softest and most-worn pair of jeans, and he gives me a puzzled look.

“What?” he asks.

I smile at him briefly before pulling my shirt over my head. “Nothing.” I tug the shirt down to cover my chest and I shrug. “I just love you, that’s all.”

A huge smile appears on his face. “I love you, too, Keith.”

I feel my face get hot and I can tell by Shiro’s look that it’s gone bright red. I clear my throat quickly and tug on my jacket. “We’ve only got a few minutes to spare, let’s go.”

“Mhmm.” He follows me to the living room, where we both pull on our shoes before heading out the door.

It’s not too far of a drive to Hunk and Romelle’s house, but it takes us a little while to get out of the car because _someone_ finally decides he wants a short make-out sesh. Shiro looks slightly rumpled when we make it to the door, and I can’t keep the smug look off my face when Hunk ultimately answers.

His face falls. “Did you guys really choose right before babysitting my _child_ to have a quick one in the car?”

“It wasn’t like that!” Shiro’s quick to defend, and I muffle a laugh behind my hand. He looks over at me and I instantly know I’ve been caught. “Oh, hush, Keith.”

“I’m sorry, who was the one who wanted to get one last make-out done in the car?” I reply before breezing past Hunk into the house. “It was his idea, by the way,” I add, and Hunk puts his face in his hands.

“Just...don’t do anything lecherous in here,” he begs. “Rome would kill me.”

“I would kill you for what?” Romelle appears out of nowhere, carrying baby Tally on her hip. “Hey guys, thanks for the favor,” she says, smiling.

“Hunk is afraid that we are going to debauch your living space,” I say, and Shiro looks like he’s about to swallow his tongue. “I promise, we won’t.”

Her eyes get wide and she looks at Hunk, scandalized. “You didn’t tell me they were like _that_!”

“Oh my god!” Shiro looks like he’s about to lose it. “We aren’t like that, I swear to god.”

“Well—“ I start to say.

“Keith, hush.”

I grin at him and shrug my shoulders. “He’s right. We would never. Hunk was just giving us a hard time, that’s all.”

“Yeah, honey, I promise. They’re wonderful people,” Hunk says.

Romelle doesn’t look so sure, but one glance at the clock is apparently enough to remind her that she has somewhere to be. “Oh! Okay—“ she hands Tally to me and I look at her like she’s a zoo animal. “So she’s already eaten dinner and she goes down at 8:30, so you only have to play with her for an hour. She just needs to change into her pyjamas and if you would play her music while she sleeps that would be _great_. Just the instrumental in the CD player by her bed.”

I nod dumbly and Shiro reaches over to take Tally out of my hands and cradle her against his chest. I don’t look, out of fear that my heart will explode from how cute they are.

“She’s in good hands,” Shiro says, running a gentle hand over Tally’s dark hair. “We’re gonna have fun, aren’t we, Tally?”

She nods, sucking avidly on her thumb, and Romelle leans in to give her a kiss on the forehead.

“We’re gonna head out, now—she loves playing race-car, and there’s a cardboard box that’s painted in her room you can push her around in.”

“Okay, can-do,” Shiro rumbles. He looks so excited and my heart can’t take it. Romelle nods and turns to Hunk, who’s already got his jacket and keys ready.

“See you guys in a few hours! TV remotes are on the table for after she goes to bed,” Romelle adds, and gives Tally another smooch before heading out the door. It closes with a click and we both look at Tally, who looks like she’s about to cry.

“Ohhh, no,” I can’t help but whisper. She looks like a ticking time bomb. “She’s gonna scream.”

“Not if we entertain her first,” Shiro mutters to me before turning his attention to the toddler. “Hi sweetie! My name is Shiro, and this is Keith.”

Tally just nods, refusing to take her thumb out of her mouth.

“We’re here to play with you,” I try, but my voice comes out harsh and not kid-friendly at all. Welp, so much for that.

Tally’s got a white-knuckled grip on Shiro’s shirt, so it takes some effort to disentangle her to set her on the floor.

“I’m going to go get your race-car, okay?” Shiro says, and this is the first time we’ve seen Tally experience an emotion other than “about to cry.” Her face lights up and she removes her thumb for a brief moment to clap excitedly.

“Car!” She squeaks, and my heart melts into a puddle.

“That’s right, your car!” I coo. I’m grateful that my voice has decided to stop making me sound possessed.

Shiro disappears into her bedroom to grab a very sophisticated cardboard race-car.

“Baby?”

I lean over to look behind me at where Shiro is standing. “Yeah?”

“I uh...may have broken it.”

“ _What_?” I say, repressing the desire to shoot to my feet. “What do you mean?”

“I think I handled it too hard and it fell apart,” Shiro clarifies, and I spin around to face where he’s stood in the doorway, almost tearful.

“Shiro, I’m sure it’s fine. You just need to—“ and I finally see what’s wrong with it. He’s gone and accidentally yanked one of the sides clean off the box. “Honey, what in the _world_?”

“I-I don’t know what happened!”

I pick Tally up and hold her on my hip like I saw Romelle do earlier and walk over to where Shiro’s standing horrified. “Okay, we can fix this. It’s fine. I think you just knocked it out of place.”

Shiro’s about to panic now, so I hand him the toddler and take the box. “We can fix this. Well, I can fix this—you look like you’re about to cry.”

“I _am_.”

I place a reassuring hand on Shiro’s arm and give him a pointed look. “We will fix this. Just entertain her for now—use that Shiro charm that worked so well on me.”

“I don’t think that’s appropriate—“

“ _Takashi_. I meant your sweet smile and soft words, geez.”

He blinks at me, then shakes his head. “Oh, right. God.”

I nod, encouraging him to nod with me. “I’m going to go find some duct tape. You stay here and keep Tally happy. Reconvene in five. Got it?”

“Yes sir,” Shiro salutes me with his free hand and I freeze.

I spin on my heel and point at my smirking husband with two fingers. “Abso _lutely_ not. Go play with the baby.”

“Yes, Keith.”

I dig around in Hunk’s kitchen drawers and emerge victorious with a roll of tie-dye duct tape that I quickly mend the race-car with. I’m about to call out to Shiro when I realize he’s asking Tally a bunch of questions and she’s answering. I tiptoe into the living room behind them and watch from afar.

“And what color is that?” Shiro asks, pointing at a purple hippo in a toy basket by the TV.

“Purple!” Tally cries, and giggles when Shiro tickles her middle gently.

“That’s right! You’re so smart! What color is...that?” He points to a green octopus laying next to the hippo.

“Blue!” Tally says confidently, and Shiro chuckles.

“Ooh! So close, Tally, but it’s green—can you say guh-reen?”

“Guhreen!”

“Good job!” Shiro offers Tally a low-five and she giggles. I must have made a noise or bumped into something because Shiro turns to look at me over his shoulder and gives me a huge smile.

Yeah, we’ll be having a kid in the near future. It’s happening.

I hold up the box with a smile and say, “I fixed it!”

“D’you hear that, Tally? Keith fixed your race-car!”

Tally squeals and gets up on wobbly legs to race over to me and grab upward for the car. I set it onto the group and she climbs in, ready to go. “Drive me!” Tally says, scooting forward across the floor.

Shiro laughs his beautiful laugh and positions himself behind the car where he can push her around the living room carpet. “Ready?” He says, and Tally giggles and claps in response. I’m beaming, at this point, and pretend to be an announcer. “Ready? On your mark, get set, go!”

They zoom around the room, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen Shiro, a grown man, squeal like a child. It’s both adorable and incredibly hot to see him enjoying himself so much, and Tally is having an absolute ball. I’m watching them play when I hear my phone chime. I tear my eyes away for a moment to look, and it’s a phone call from Hunk. My eyebrows furrow and I put the phone to my ear to answer.

Shiro looks over at me, concerned, and I can feel the blood drain from my face. He mouths “What’s wrong?” and I shake my head, gesturing to the other room. Shiro gently places Tally in her playpen with her hippo and follows me into the kitchen. Hunk’s talking on the other end so fast that I can barely keep up, so I tell Shiro the only thing I can really process:

“Romelle’s in the hospital.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't freak out.


	3. The First Year: Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had this in my notes and I decided to go ahead and post this rq, it's unbeta'd but like...I haven't written in a while and I left yall on a cliffhanger LOL sorry ily

"What?" Shiro replies, face paling. "What happened?"

I hold up my hand and wait for Hunk to finish his sentence. "Uh huh."

"She got really bad food poisoning, I think, we had to go to the hospital so she can be under observation—I don't know how long it'll take but we may be here all night before she's cleared to leave," Hunk is saying. His voice is shaking.

"It'll be okay," I say, trying my best to be reassuring. "We can take care of Tally until you are able to get back."

He breathes a sigh of relief. I look over at Shiro watching me intently. "Thank God," Hunk says, "I didn't want to ask, but I don't know what I'd do if I didn't know that she was in good hands."

"It's okay, we don't mind," I say. "We can just cuddle up on the couch and keep an eye on the house."

"Oh, no—you'll be in the guest bedroom—I'm not making you guys sleep on the  _ couch _ , what kind of monster do you think I am?" Hunk replies. "There are clean sheets already on—make yourself at home." I can hear Romelle's voice, but not what she says, on the other side of the phone. "Well, not  _ too _ at home, but I know you both are courteous guys."

"Of course, we won't fuck in your guest bed," I laugh. "I promise."

"Thank you."

"I'm gonna let you update Shiro, okay?" I say, and once Hunk affirms I hand the phone over to him.

"Yeah—" Shiro says, and I put my hand briefly onto his shoulder before walking back into the living room where Tally is still playing happily with her toy.

"Hi, baby girl," I say, kneeling beside the playpen. "How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy," she mutters, rubbing one eye with a chubby fist. I look at my watch and realize it's about 8:15—almost her bedtime.

"I think we should go get your jammies on, huh?" I say, and she lifts her arms for me to pick her up. I pick up the hippo, too, and give it to her to hold while we walk down the hall to the bathroom. I find all her stuff laid out, including a fresh pair of pyjamas, and set her down on the floor to stand on her own while I get the change of clothes ready. This is way out of my comfort zone, but she's a sweetheart and I feel like this is good practice for when my future kid needs to get ready for bed. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.

We get her teeth brushed, and business taken care of, and pyjamas on, so she's ready for sleep by 8:25. Hand to god, this is the most cooperative toddler I've ever met. Albeit the only other toddler I've had to deal with is Lance's, and that kid— while sweet—is a holy terror.

By the time she's tucked into bed, Shiro's off the phone with Hunk and ready to help me say goodnight to her. I look over at him and wow. This is adorable. He looks so soft in the light of her night-light and my chest feels tight. There have been too many things lately that make my heart swell and I'm afraid I'm gonna have a coronary before 30 if this keeps up.

"Hey," he whispers to me as I run my hand over Tally's hair gently.

I look up at him with fond eyes and whisper, "hey," back.

"Ready for sleep time, Tally?" Shiro asks, and reaches down to turn on the gentle instrumental music Romelle told us to use.

God, I hope Romelle’s okay. That really sucks.

She seems to be okay, according to Hunk, but I know how things can go south really quickly and I really don't want that to happen. They're such nice people—they don't deserve this bullshit. I almost make this remark to Shiro, but I remember there's a toddler in the room with us and I can’t say “shit.” Whoops.

Tally’s rubbing her eyes a lot now, and she’s settled into bed, so I take Shiro’s hand and lead him backwards out of the room. Once her eyes are finally closed, we exit and I tug on his arm to lead him to the guest bedroom. 

“Baby, baby, baby—“ Shiro says with alarm as I drag him along with alacrity. “Wha—mmph!”

I spin him around quickly and seal my lips over his. I feel him melt against me instantly, and I feel his arms run up and down my back when he feels me smile into the kiss. When I finally break away, we’re both breathless and standing in the guest bedroom. “Hey,” I whisper, giving him a coy smile and running my fingertips over his jaw. 

“Where did  _ that _ come from?” Shiro asks, and I huff out a laugh.

“I dunno, you’re just extra hot tonight.”

Shiro gives me a raised eyebrow and I chuckle again. He looks so suspicious, but he knows me well enough to just laugh with me and tuck me under his arm.  

**Author's Note:**

> come scream at me on twitter @ canicallymads


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